Packing Tips To Make Your Move Easier

Moving is an incredibly stressful process between having to find a new home and/or job and choosing the right moving company. You will also have to deal with a great deal of financial stress as it is a very expensive process. Because of this, you want to make sure that your packing goes as smoothly as possible, eliminating any extra challenges. While it may seem pretty straightforward to pack your boxes, it is not as simple as it seems. If you are not careful, you may end up damaging items or finding it hard to unpack. Here are some packing tips to help keep you on track.

Consider Hiring Someone

If you feel that you have too much stuff and simply don’t have enough time to pack it all, it is possible to hire someone to do the packing for you. When searching for the movers to handle the physical move, check if they will do packing as well. Although it will probably end up costing you extra money, you should not feel embarrassed about having the movers pack your items as well. In addition to saving you time, effort and stress, you will be sure that nothing gets packed in a way where it can get damaged. The only thing to keep in mind is to always pack your valuables yourself and keep them close to you, even if you completely trust the moving company.

Choosing Boxes

One of the most important packing tips is to make sure you select the right boxes. Many people will try to find free boxes to help them save money and while this is a great idea, the boxes are not always the best quality. If you get your boxes as giveaways from a supermarket or other retailer always be sure to only use the sturdy ones. Boxes that have rips, creases or water damage are much more likely to break and damage your items. You can find free boxes that are of good quality but don’t completely rule out purchasing some if necessary.

Label The Boxes

While you are packing your stuff, it may seem as if labeling is a complete waste of time. You might think you can remember where everything is and which items are together but you are probably not right. Keep in mind that the movers will reorganize the boxes to stack them more easily and after that happens, you may have no idea what is in which box and this is why one of the best packing tips is label everything. When labeling the boxes, be sure to label the room the items go in as well as what they are. This will allow the movers to bring the box directly into the correct room and help you know which boxes you need to unpack first.

Fill The Boxes

Depending on the size of your boxes, you may not feel as if you can fill them up. If, for example, you don’t have any small boxes but have a lot of books, you won’t want to fill them to the top with those heavy items. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t put anything else on top. You should always pack your boxes completely as this will prevent damage and make it easier for the movers to stack them. Keep in mind that if a box isn’t full and someone puts another one on top, the bottom one will collapse. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy packing materials, however. One of the best packing tips is to use household items such as towels or tablecloths to fill in the gaps. You should also start saving up newspaper as soon as you know you are moving as this is a great way to not only protect fragile objects but fill in any empty spaces.

Weight

Even if you hired a moving company, you should always pay attention to how much your boxes way during the packing process. This is partly because you don’t want the movers to overstrain themselves (they will be much more pleasant if you keep the process easy for them) but also because you don’t want to strain yourself. You may think “What does it matter? I’m not going to lift it!” but that is a common misconception. While it is possible you won’t, you don’t know for sure. What happens if the movers put the box in the wrong room? Or if it’s in the way while you are unpacking? Keep these things in mind and make sure you put heavy items in smaller boxes and make larger boxes lighter.

Fragile Items

The most stressful items to pack are breakable ones such as china or glasses, but it is possible to do so safely and easily. If you are packing something that is fragile and has an inside (such as a cup, vase, bowl or mug), don’t just wrap the outside. You also need to stuff the inside so the item doesn’t cave in and collapse. The best way to do this is to simply stuff it with towels, newspaper or even socks. If you have small soft objects you can use those as well. No matter what item you are packing, if it is fragile, you should always wrap it up using either packing supplies or one of the soft objects mentioned above. Also be sure to label the box as fragile so the movers know to take care with it.

Empty Drawers

Everyone knows that moving is easier when there are fewer items and many people think this means that they should stuff as much as they can into their drawers or cabinets in furniture. However, while this reduces the amount of items the movers must shift, it will actually make their job harder. That is because it will make the furniture harder to handle as it will be heavier. In fact, it is also bad for your items as placing things in drawers can make them more likely to get damaged. It can even make the furniture break. That is why one of the packing tips to keep in mind is never fill your drawers with stuff.